Chapter 2

It was when he was two was when he found himself starting to wear a mask. It seemed like a necessity with this new nose of his, he found out it was something he inherited from both his mother and father, a good sense of smell and hearing too. He started going out more, curious about the village, wanting to see everything but with that, all the smells just were so overwhelming. Too much for his small figure to handle.

He had grown accustomed to covering his nose with his hands, then he switches to gripping the neckline of his shirt, pulling it over his nose until his arm grew tired. It was nice that Sakumo had taken notice of his usual acts and bought him a mask. At first, he was confused as to why the man was staring at him with a bright smile offering some small cloth.

His face seemed to flush into red when he realised what it was, he felt stupid for not understanding what it was when he was given it. The gleefully took the black mask and put it on, testing it out- he loved it! It made him look more interesting than he actually did, it took him a week to take it off again when at home.

The smell at the compound was better than being outside it. The strong waves of smells were damped by the smell of his family, of the familiar smells, while outside the compound, of the Hatake residence, he could practically smell 'Everything', it was ridiculous. It was particularly bad, seeing as people didn't just smell like themselves but other people too and it made sense, people hugged, people shook hands, people borrow other people's stuff, it was a cycle, he could smell everything from them, things they might have touched, like food or even a tree.

It was a fun little game at times when he was out with his father. Instead of 'I spy with my little eye something beginning with- he changed this game, the game from his past life to 'I smell something beginning with the letter…'

Sakumo found it just as fun as he did, it was their thing. It was always nice to spend time with the man seeing as it was hard to spend time with him. He was an important man in the village he knew that, so he was needed for missions. He himself couldn't wait to go to this 'academy' to become a ninja… a ninja it was so surreal. He couldn't wait to use his first ninjutsu... maybe he could even create one- one day!

"I know you miss your father." The voice pulled him from thought as he looked over to his mother.

Ah.

He had been lost in thought again, he looked down towards his plate of food which he had been using his chopsticks to move around the plate unconsciously.

"I wasn't thinking about tou-san" he responded, which was a lie. Although he hadn't even realised, he was. She gave a knowing look.

"Oh? Is that so, then what were you thinking about Aka-chan?"

"The academy… It's just that, I get really bored all the time kaa-chan. I was wondering when I can start?"

She let out a large sigh, "You're 2… you won't be able to join until you're 8, so you'll have to wait. Don't be so eager to grow up, okay?"

He practically kinda was 'grown up'.

"But I'm ready now. That's a whole six years away! I can't wait that long" Takahashi protested, 6 years was truly a long wait.

"Didn't Namikaze Minato join the academy at 5?" He questioned, he remembered hearing it from somewhere when he was out with his father.

She sighed again, fixing him with a piercing stare, "Takahashi, how do you even know that? He joined at 5 because it was at wartime. It doesn't matter what others do, it doesn't mean you can do it too, you can wait until your 8, okay? I'm your mother, and it's my job to protect you."

He pulled himself back from rolling his eyes at her.

"Hai kaa-san" he responded in a monotone voice.

"Do you want to hear some good news?" she asked as he poked and pushed his food around the plate once again. He looked up at her in disinterest, 'good news'.

"Well, it depends if it's good for you or me…" he responded cheekily, and she chuckled.

"I was going to wait until your father returned this evening so we could tell you together but I'm too excited to wait… You're going to be a big brother very soon!"

His hand froze in place as his mouth hung open as he gaped at her. She was having a baby? He was going to have a little sister or brother; he couldn't stop his brows from furrowing. He was going to be a big brother again; he found his thought running back to his past life once again, he was a big brother before, yet he couldn't remember it and now he was being given another chance to be one.

This world was a harsh one, one filled with blood, vengeance and war no matter how one could look at it, this world was not meant for the weak.

He'll be a great older brother; he'll protect that child with everything.

--

When he saw nurses rushing in and out of the room, he wasn't sure what to think- no he didn't want to think because if he did, then the worst possibly scenario would be brought forth. He was frozen in pace standing there in daze, The air thick with medication and blood.

Then when he saw his father walk sombrely out of the room, the man's eyes red, he knew immediately what had happened.

His mother didn't make it.

His throat felt dry, his head faint. He had grown attacked to his mother… because she was 'His mother' she was his. It didn't matter if she was his second mother, he couldn't remember the first one, but he could remember this one. She was everything he would imagine a loving mother would be.

"Takahashi" his father called out, snapping him back to reality.

He looked right at his father, the man had his mouth slightly open, he wanted to say something anything, but he just couldn't find the words for Takahashi. As he waited for just about anything to come out of his father's mouth his eyes moved down towards the bundle in his father's arms.

"I named him Kakashi" his father finally spoke again.

Kakashi… Scarecrow? Ah, well it was better than his name Takahashi meaning 'bridge'.

"Tou-san?" he called out hesitantly.

"…Hai Takahashi?"

"Can I… hold him?"

Sakumo seemed taken aback at the question but nodded nonetheless, "Of course, but you have to be careful."

As his father gently placed the child in his arms, teaching him the way to do it, carefully holding the head up he saw relief in his father's expression, beneath the pain in his eyes.

Kakashi was awake, his dark eyes, very much like his own and their fathers staring right at him.

"Hello Kakashi, I'm your big brother Takahashi… now that I saw that out loud, our names kind of sound similar, don't they?"

--

After Kakashi was born, everything changed. He had been used to Rei being home all the time, and now she wasn't. It was a rough adjustment.

There was no longer that consistency he once had with Rei gone. It made things harder. Sakumo was able to stay home longer than usual with Rei gone and to children needing to be taken care of. He was completely fine; he was more worried about how Sakumo was taking it all.

Sakumo was… trying but it was clear to Takahashi that he had no idea how to take care of a baby… or even how to care for a child. It was amusing, to say the least, he was learning every step of the way. It didn't help that the man couldn't cook to save his life nor the life of his children… the only thing the man could cook was white rice and that was about it.

"Neh… tou-san, what's that suppose to be?" he questioned his equally confused father who was staring into the saucepan. Takahashi Poked the mush with the wooden spoon his father had left at the side, he was sat on the countertop questioning why his father even bothered at this point.

"Ah, well- haha. It's meant to be a vegetable curry Takahashi…" Sakumo responded hesitantly as he rubbed the back of his neck, his face growing redder by the second, obviously embarrassed feeling his toddler's judging gaze on him.

"Tou-san… no matter how much you try, I don't think you'll actually get better. Let's face it… you can't cook."

Rei was the one who cooked, since she has passed his father has been trying to fill that spot. The first time he watched his father cook he was shocked; he remembered the time when she was alive his father had offered to cook and the look of horror on his mother's face… he now understood it.

It has already been a few months, seven to be exact and the man still hasn't learned anything.

"Takahashi! Blasphemy! Impudent child!" Sakumo cried out, he was being overdramatic again.

"Taka!" a voice chirped from behind them and Takahashi snorted glancing back at the watchful Kakashi Hatake, the youngest Hatake.

Sakumo in turn turned to the third party and beamed, "See, I think our little Kakashi agrees with me" Sakumo spoke, while Kakashi blinked curiously, his head tilted at hearing his name.

"When are you going on your next mission? I miss Akira-nee-chan's cooking already and it's only been three days since we last saw her."

Akira was somewhat of what Takahashi would call a nanny of a sort. Since Rei- his mother's death his father had found someone to take care of them when he couldn't. she was a civilian, she came every time their father went out on a mission. He was taken with her, he liked how gentle and caring she was to Kakashi, he was glad there was someone who could raise him properly because he himself didn't know what he was doing. She was only 18 yet she knew more about raising a child than his father who was actually the parent.

"Ah… my own son is so mean to me" Sakumo spoke out as his hand gripped his heart dramatically.

Takahashi rolled his eyes, "Can we go out to get something to eat? I was thinking barbeque? Oh, maybe some ramen instead… hm."

Sakumo sighed as he put the saucepan on the countertop, "I suppose barbeque sounds alright."

Takahashi smiled as he slapped his hands together, "Barbeque it is then, do you hear that Kashi-chan?" he then jumped down from the counter and headed towards his little brother, "We're getting barbeque."

"Que?" the baby responded with; Takahashi nodded gleefully.

"He's just as smart as you were when you were a baby" Sakumo commented.